Postpartum depressive symptoms in women with female genital mutilation in Somalia

Abstract

Objectives

This study aimed to identify associated factors for postpartum depression (PPD) among women with female genital mutilation (FGM) in Somalia.

Methods

This was a cross-sectional study conducted between February and May 2021 in Somalia Mogadishu–Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan Training and Research Hospital, Mogadishu, Somalia. Mothers with any known chronic disease, or psychiatric disorders and who refused to participate were excluded from the study. The cutoff point for depression was defined as ≥13 points according to the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale.

Results

Out of 446 postpartum mothers, 267 (59.9%) had increased depressive symptoms in the early postpartum period. PPD scale scores of mothers who were very poor were significantly higher depression scores than their counterparts (p = .002). Education level, place of residence, occupational status, number of children, type of FGM, and the presence of perineal tear did not differ significantly between depressed and non-depressed groups.

Conclusions

Women with FGM had increased depressive symptoms in the early postpartum period in Somalia. In addition, women who had lower income had higher PPD scores than their counterparts. Further studies are needed to develop a deeper understanding of the relationships between FGM and PPD and its causes.

VISUAL ABSTRACT

Keywords:

• Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale
• FGM
• Somalia

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the study participants for their contribution. The authors sincerely thank Dr. Dilek Başar for her help in the preparation of the figure. The authors are also very grateful to Mihnea Sebu for her assistance in language editing.

Ethical approval

Ethical approval for this study was provided by the Somalia Mogadishu–Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan Training and Research Hospital Ethics Committee (approval number: 09.09.2020-MSTH/4465). The database management is in accordance with privacy legislation and the presented study is in accordance with the ethical principle of the Declaration of Helsinki.

Author contributions

OO: participated in the study design, data collection, interpretation of findings, and drafting of the manuscript. EK: participated in study design, interpretation of findings, and drafting of the manuscript. KNB: participated in the data analysis and the interpretation of findings. HHE: participated in the interpretation of findings and drafting of the manuscript. MMO: participated in the data collection and the interpretation of findings. All authors participated in the review of the final manuscript. All authors approved the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflict of interest.

Data availability statement

The dataset used and/or analyzed in the study is available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Additional information

Funding

No funds were received in support of this work. No benefits in any form have been or will be received from a commercial party related directly or indirectly to the subject of this manuscript.